The worst game of the year leaves Barça on the ropes.

BarcelonaThe Barça of a thousand lives couldn't seal the quarterfinal tie against Unicaja and will have to play their qualification match to play the Endesa League semifinals in Malaga. The Blaugrana suffered a painful defeat against an opponent who knew how to accentuate all their flaws (59-81). The Catalan team's shooting percentages were poor, as was their defense.

The Barça rotation, consisting of just nine players, fell far short against an opponent who better read the type of match they needed. "They were far superior and we played a poor game. I feel bad about having played the worst game of the year at the Palau. We have less than 48 hours to change the spirit and play with the energy we didn't have today," analyzed Joan Peñarroya. Joan Laporta watched the match from the box at a Palau Blaugrana stadium that brought together 6,892 fans.

"We tied the tie. Our team learns from the things that happen to us. I have 14 very good players and I trust all of them, who are doing very well," said Unicaja coach Ibon Navarro. "We played a good game and we played with great concentration. We were able to solve the problems that had hindered us in the first game," said Olek Balcerowski, one of the biggest problems for the Barça defense.

Barça started the match motivated to quickly wrap up the tie, but this led to excessive haste. Unicaja, with a clearer plan, took advantage of their accuracy from the 6.75-meter line and their influence on the rebound to dominate the first quarter of a match in which Ibon Navarro used some different pieces than those of Málaga. The visiting team was infected by the energy of Kendrick Perry (17-26).

The visitors' lead reached 14 points against a Barça that, for parts of the afternoon, excessively abused individual actions. With the aim of wearing down their opponent and their defensive transitions, Unicaja added rhythm to their game. Joel Parra was one of the few reliable players during a cruel second period. The Catalan team did not attempt a single free throw in the first 20 minutes (35-44).

As the minutes passed, Barça and Peñarroya's doubts grew, and Peñarroya was penalized with a technical penalty. Unicaja's defense reduced the Blaugrana's shooting percentage, which struggled to score consistently. The proposal by thesmall ball The Catalans didn't achieve the same result as on Tuesday, and the visitors' lead increased to 19 points (46-65).

Navarro exploited the strengths of Olek Balcerowski to punish the inside game of a Barça side that missed Jan Vesely. Lacking confidence in their shooting and with serious problems offering reliable defensive performances, the Blaugrana team was unable to change the trend of a duel dominated by their rival. The passing of the minutes only served to despair the Barça fans, who didn't see the game they had imagined. Many of them left their seats early. A few waved their handkerchiefs and others whistled when the final buzzer sounded.

Both coaches took advantage of the final minutes to rest their most important players. The youngsters Raúl Villar, Sayon Keita, and Dani González took center stage against an opponent who managed to maintain their concentration until the end at the Palau Blaugrana.

Malaga will decide

The third and final match of the quarterfinal tie will be played on Sunday in Málaga. The winning team will then compete in the Endesa League semifinals starting Wednesday.